Saturday, September 17, 2005

You really should know who ALFRED NEWMAN (1901-1970) is! Alfred Newman was one of the greatest of Hollywood composers, founder of the family which features Lionel, Randy, Emil and Thomas Newman.

A fine place to start is by viewing: How the West Was Won (1962) (among many others). This is an excellent blend of original themes and period music. It is one of the best scores ever composed for a film.
See that and pay attention to the following:How Green Was My Valley (1941) Newman's score for John Ford's masterpiece is riveting and supports the film ably.Captain from Castile (1947) Newman's theme "Conquest" has long been a staple of film music concerts. It is an incredible and memorable march.The Robe (1953) Newman was the perfect choice for the first Cinemascope feature from Fox. It is everything the score for a religious film should be.
"Twentieth Century Fox" Alfred Newman composed the Fox fanfare, still used by the studio today.

1 Comments:

It was because of this showcase, I started paying attention how many times I see Alfred Newman listed in classic movie credits. So many times, I've heard my husband say, "This soundtrack is really good. It must be Alfred Newman." We both agree that the man's amazing!

Has This Happened To You?

The décor was beautiful. The food was delicious. The music was delightful. Conversation flowed naturally. You gazed into a pair of lovely eyes and mentioned your favorite classic movie star. Then, because of one little word you heard, the entire evening came to a screeching halt.

“Who?” your date asked.

“Whaa! What do you mean, 'Who?'" you exclaimed incredulously.

This is where we educate the clueless about the world of classic movies.